Invoking the rain god

Starting today, the three-day Malhaar Festival promises to encapsulate the different flavours of monsoon

It's Mumbai which is enjoying intermittent rains but looks like the Capital is in a mood to celebrate, so what if rain gods are playing hide and seek with us? So here is a festival that tries to capture the beauty of the
pitter-patter against the asphalt. The three-day Malhaar, that starts today, is being out together by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to celebrate the spirit of monsoon.


Sharmishta Mukherjee

The festival, which is over a decade old now, will have Malini Awasthi -- the face of Indian folk music -- opening the show with her performance, followed by Kathak dancer and choreographer Aditi Mangaldas lighting up the stage with her repertoire.

"Malhaar, the raga of rain, is an invocation to the rain god. The problem with the history of music is that there is too much information that gravitates towards this legend. There are as many as 12 different kinds of Malhaar dealing with various stages of rain and the many moods it brings," says Suresh K Goel, Director General, ICCR.


Ustad Ghulam Sadiq Khan and Ghulam Abbas Khan

However, artists these days are reinventing and modernising the whole concept in their own way. Aditi says, "We've taken Malhaar in its broader perspective. It's not just about pleasing the rain god but much more. We've used monsoon season to showcase different emotions -- domination of dark clouds over the sky, moon floating in river shattered by a rain drop and a woman drenched in rain going to meet her beloved among
others.

We are expressing such emotions through dance. Monsoon transforms us from inside and outside and we have taken an abstract look at it." Sharmishta Mukherjee, another danseuse who is performing at Malhaar, believes that dance is reflective of personal feelings.


Aditi Mangaldas Pic/Dinesh Khanna

"My production is based on different musical notes. All are nature shots of monsoon. The first four productions are music based but the fifth one is different as there is no music in it. It's a silent film that reveals different moods of monsoon and its all footwork," she says.

Other artists like Gundecha Brothers, Ustad Ghulam Sadiq Khan and Ghulam Abbas Khanu00a0 and Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra will also render their classical performances at the festival. So it doesn't matter if the Capital is back to its standard temperature after enjoying intermittent showers. You can revisit that joy and hope for a wet and wild impending monsoon as you attend this cultural
fiesta.

Did you know?
Raag Malhaar is an old raag in Indian classical music, known to bring rains. This was what Tansen would sing during the time of draught, bringing rains from the sky.

Cut-n-keep schedule
Monday, August 29
Malini Awasthi (Folk/Vocal), 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm
Aditi Mangaldas (Kathak), 7.30 pm to 8.30pm

Tuesday, August 30
Gundecha Brothers (Hindustani vocalists), 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm
Ustad Ghulam Sadiq Khan and Ghulam Abbas Khan (Hindustani vocalists), 7.30pm to 8.30pm

Wednesday, August 31
Sharmishta Mukherjee (Kathak), 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm
Pt Rajan & Sajan Mishra (Hindustani vocalists), 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm